Podcast Summary: Frontend Engineering at Slack with Shruti Kapoor

Software Engineering Daily hosted an insightful episode titled "Frontend Engineering at Slack with Shruti Kapoor", released on November 6, 2024. Hosted by Josh Goldberg, the podcast delves deep into the technical and personal aspects of frontend engineering at one of the world’s leading team communication platforms—Slack. Shruti Kapoor, a Lead Member of the Technical Staff at Slack, shares her journey, technical expertise, and perspectives on accessibility, technology evaluation, and community involvement.

1. Introduction to Shruti Kapoor and Her Journey into Tech

Josh Goldberg opens the conversation by introducing Shruti Kapoor’s background, highlighting her role at Slack and the features she has contributed to, including Huddles, Slack’s recent redesign, and the Accessibility team.

Shruti Kapoor reflects on her early foray into technology:
"I was the kind of weird kid who wanted to do HTML when I was in grade eight... I created my own web page with a marquee tag... it was fun."
(00:01:36)

She recounts her initial exposure to programming in university, where a professor’s engaging teaching style sparked her interest in coding beyond HTML and CSS. Her transition from an automation engineer role at Telus Digital to frontend development at Slack underscores her passion and adaptability.

2. Technical Stack and Developer Tooling at Slack

Shruti provides an overview of Slack’s frontend technology stack, emphasizing its simplicity and effectiveness:

• React for building user interfaces
• TypeScript for type safety and better code maintenance
• Redux for state management
• Less for styling

She highlights the advantages of this stack, noting its familiarity to many developers and the streamlined development experience it offers.

Shruti Kapoor:
"One of my favorite things about frontend at Slack is the simplicity of our tech stack... it makes it easier to move to Slack with that knowledge."
(00:09:21)

A standout feature is Slack’s remote development environments, which simplify the setup process: "You just need to write one line of code to spin up a new branch or environment... everything is synced automatically."
(00:10:44)

This approach significantly reduces setup time, enabling developers to focus on shipping code rapidly.

3. Evaluating and Adopting New Technologies

When discussing how Slack evaluates new technologies, Shruti emphasizes the importance of maintainability and the ability to hire developers proficient in the technology: "We consider how easy it is to hire people who already know that technology and maintain it."
(00:10:55)

She shares insights into Slack’s prototype-heavy strategy, where new technologies are first tested through prototypes to assess their integration, performance implications, and overall benefits before full-scale adoption.

Shruti Kapoor:
"We think about how we're going to maintain it and how it's going to integrate with the rest of the services... what are the performance implications?"
(00:13:20)

This meticulous evaluation ensures that only technologies that align with Slack’s long-term goals and scalability needs are adopted.

4. Commitment to Accessibility at Slack

Shruti delves into her current work on Slack’s Accessibility team, underscoring the company’s dedication to building inclusive products.

Shruti Kapoor:
"Building with accessibility in mind really means building with inclusivity in mind... making sure your features are navigable by anybody, including people with disabilities."
(00:14:39)

She explains that accessibility isn’t an afterthought but a fundamental aspect of Slack’s development process. This includes:

• Conducting accessibility audits for every feature
• Developing accessible components within the Slack Kit design system
• Educating and guiding developers through office hours to ensure best practices

When faced with a new challenge, such as improper use of HTML elements for accessibility, Shruti describes Slack’s gentle approach in guiding developers towards better practices through linting tools and accessible component libraries.

Shruti Kapoor:
"If you were to use a div with the role of button, the linter would throw errors... and we'll invite you to our office hours to discuss why we want to use a semantic button."
(00:18:26)

5. Building Accessible Components and Design Systems

Creating accessible components, such as a button in the Slack Kit design system, involves ensuring they are:

• Accessible: Proper semantic HTML, ARIA attributes, keyboard navigability
• Extendable: Flexible for use across various features and components
• Debuggable: Easy to troubleshoot and maintain

Shruti Kapoor:
"We have to think about what other developers might need... making sure it is debuggable, extendable, and embeddable within their components."
(00:21:01)

She emphasizes that building a design system at scale requires balancing technical precision with the ability to adapt to diverse use cases.

6. Balancing Technical Leadership and Mentorship

As Shruti transitioned into a more senior role, her focus shifted from individual coding tasks to mentoring and enabling other developers. She explains that her role now involves:

• Conducting office hours to guide teams on accessibility
• Reviewing code and providing constructive feedback
• Writing documentation to support best practices

Shruti Kapoor:
"My job is to enable others and make sure that my need for implementing something is reduced."
(00:24:11)

This evolution from hands-on coding to leadership and mentorship highlights the multifaceted responsibilities of a staff engineer.

7. Embracing Content Creation and Open Source Contributions

Outside of her role at Slack, Shruti is actively involved in content creation and open source. She created a Dev Jokes repository to foster community engagement and introduce newcomers to open source.

Shruti Kapoor:
"Creating dev jokes is a way to make open source approachable... It's a simple yet fun introduction to understanding how contributions work."
(00:35:55)

This initiative not only showcases her creativity but also serves as a gateway for developers to learn about collaboration, pull requests, and maintaining a repository.

8. Leveraging AI Tools for Enhanced Productivity

Shruti discusses the integration of AI tools into her workflow, citing examples like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT for coding assistance: "When I'm battling with TypeScript, ChatGPT tells me how to write my types... it's so much better."
(00:35:17)

She appreciates how AI tools act as personal assistants, automating repetitive tasks such as video editing with Riverside, thereby allowing her to focus on more creative and productive endeavors.

9. Addressing Imposter Syndrome and Fostering Inclusivity

Shruti offers valuable advice on overcoming imposter syndrome, a common challenge in the tech industry. She emphasizes the importance of mentorship, community, and recognizing that many professionals share similar feelings.

Shruti Kapoor:
"70% of the industry feels like an imposter... knowing that someone you respect also feels this way helps set the context."
(00:40:57)

She encourages seeking support, setting incremental goals, and building confidence through small achievements to gradually overcome feelings of inadequacy.

10. Closing Thoughts and Community Engagement

The podcast concludes on a light-hearted note with Shruti sharing a TypeScript joke: Shruti Kapoor:
"Why did the string and the number break up? Their values didn't match. They weren't each other's type."
(00:43:55)

She invites listeners to connect with her on Twitter (@shruthikapur08) and Discord, fostering ongoing community interaction and support.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Shruti on Early Tech Exposure:
  "I created my own web page with a marquee tag... it was fun."
  (00:01:36)

• On Slack’s Tech Stack:
  "Our tech stack is simple enough that you might have learned it at other places and it's easier to move to Slack with that knowledge."
  (00:09:21)

• Evaluating New Technologies:
  "We consider how easy it is to hire people who already know that technology and maintain it."
  (00:10:55)

• Accessibility Philosophy:
  "Building with accessibility in mind really means building with inclusivity in mind."
  (00:14:39)

• Content Creation Benefits:
  "Making videos and writing blog posts has helped me understand these things better."
  (00:26:53)

• Imposter Syndrome Advice:
  "70% of the industry feels like an imposter... knowing that someone you respect also feels this way helps set the context."
  (00:40:57)

Conclusion

Shruti Kapoor’s episode on Software Engineering Daily provides a comprehensive look into frontend engineering at Slack, emphasizing the balance between technical excellence and fostering an inclusive, supportive development environment. Her insights on accessibility, mentorship, technology evaluation, and community engagement offer valuable lessons for engineers at all stages of their careers.

For more information or to connect with Shruti, you can find her on Twitter (@shruthikapur08) or Discord.